A drop of water is evaporated from the surface of the sea. Separated from the whole, it travels by cloud to the earth, upon which it rains. It feeds a plant, trickles to an underground lake, gushes out through sources and streams. It quenches the thirst of a human and flows to the river. At the interface between two worlds, waves crash as tides wax and wane, caressing the shores. The messenger returns finally, soiled and purified, torn and reassembled, to the unity of the Ocean. 

Here it is no longer a stranger. It is the very fabric of existence for mysterious creatures. In all their complex beauty and diversity, they evolve freely in this element, perhaps wondering what goes on above the mirroring surface. 

Like the drop of evaporated water, the child who becomes aware is separated from the embrace of nature. But the Ocean is where we came from and where we will return. It flows constantly through all of nature. Our inner wilderness, rich and powerful, mirrors nature’s own; our fates are intertwined. To preserve the diversity of the natural world is to preserve the diversity of our hearts and minds, and the dignity of future generations. 

We are the Ocean.

~ Pierre-Yves Cousteau